Butter cutter



CHARLES r. sii/11TH, or (inmersa-rumors, AssIGNonfro inaktiv;MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or cnrcaeo, rLLrNors, A conrona'rroN oryILLINOIS. if

BUTTER CUTTER.

Lasciare..

Application filed July 22,

To all collo/m, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. SMITH, a. citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the countyof Cook andState ofillinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a ButterCutter; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved form of butter cutting machineofsimple construction and operation'.

lt is an object of this invention to construct a butter cutter whichlhas anl automatic feed, is adjustable Vfor cutting differentthicknesses of butter, and that is readily attachable to a support.

lt is a further object of this invention to construct the device so thatpart of the feeding mechanism may be removed so that the butter holdingreceptacle may be easily cleaned and washed.

lt is a still further object to construct the device with as few partsas possible in a compact and novel arrangement as hereinafter morespecifically pointed out.

In the drawings: y

Figure 1 is a top view of the butter cutting machine.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, with the handle removed.

Figure 3 is an end view showing the cross wires for dividing the butterinto four equal parts. y

Figure i is a section on the line 1 -d of F igni'e 2, showing; theautomatic feed, and

Figure 5 is a section onv the line 5 5 of Figure 1, showing theremovable part of the feedingmechanism.

shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 represents a l standard which may be attached toa table or shelf orvother support by the familiar clamp 2 and screw 3,as shown in Figure 2. This standard supports the butter receptacle 1i,of any form or design, andv to one end of which is secured a closingplate 5 by any convenient means such as screws, and having a pluralityof brackets 6 and 7 the brackets 6 having a screw supporting lug 8 vanda journal supporting lug 9, while the Specification of LettersrPatent.,Pgmqgnted Aug, t5, 1922,'

i920. serial No. 398,292.

bracket has two journal supporting lugs 10 and 11, the former of whichsupports the shaft for the bevel gear 12, which is operated by the crankhandle 13, which is also attached to said shaft. lt is understood thatany` kind of driving mechanism may be afttached to said shaft to operatesaid bevel gear 12. The other end ofthe Ibutter-receptacle has attachedthereto by appropriate means a frame 14. having a journallug 15.

A pair of cross wires 16 and 17 aresecured.

v within theframeple for a purpose toy he later set forth.

` rlhrough the journall lugs 9, 11 and 15- bent into a U-shapedformationdenoted as a vwhole by the numeral 20, and a cutting member in the formof a wire 21 is stretched across the U-shaped member and lsecuredthereto by any desired mechanical expedients such as screws 21a', forexample. Ai cam member 22 of advancing contour is secured on theopposite end of said driven"` shaft for periodically advancing theresiliently supported and adjustable screw 23", which has a lsliding`fitfin the aforementioned lug` at one end,` and theoth'er end of whichVslides freely inthe bracket 6. A nutI 24en is threaded upon screw 23,anda spring' 25surro'und`s free from the cam member 22 and deter'- minesthe' thickness of the slice of butter to be cut. It will be noted thatby ti'irn'ing said nut 24; tothe right, the thicknessl ofthe piece ofcut butter will decrease, while turn-` ing screw 24C to the 'left willincrease the thickness thereof.

Referring now to Figure L', it will be seen that the` bracket 6I hasl abifurcation 26 endinga in its interior point inagroove forming a bearingfor the sl-ida'ble or reciprocating screw elementl 23'.. A' .stud '27 y.

integral with said 'screw 'operates' in' said bifurcation and hasattached to its outer end a pawl 28, which is designed to periodicallyadvance a feeding member 29. Said feeding member is in the. form of aratchet bar 30 yhaving a butter engagingabutment 3l at one end. Inreferring to Figure 5, it will be seen that said abutment slides in thebutter receptacle and the ratchet bar rests and slides in a depression32 in end member 5, formingl a guiding means therefor. It willaccordingly be noted that as the reciprocating screw element 28 isadvanced by the cam. 22, the pawl 28 will engage the ratchet bar 80 andadvance the butter feeding member a distance equal to the length ofmovement of the screw element 23 and after the cam; 22 has passed by theend of the screw element, the spring` 25 acting against the adjustablenut or abutment 2li, will return the screw element 23 which with thepawl Q8, will now move relatively to the butter feedingl member untilthe nut Q4 strikes the bearing` lue` or abutment 8. This relativemovement of screw element .23 is equal to the thickness of the cutbutter and this relative movement can be varied by adjusting the nut 24on the element 23 so that it will project more or less in the path ofthe cam Q2.

It should be particularly noted that the machine is constructed of butfew parts; and that the slight thrust of the cam member is absorbed bythe intermeshing `gears l2 and 19 tending` to keep them firmly in meshand thereby the cutting element in close proximity to the cutting,Ywires, and that the driven shaft and cutter support form a simpleintegral member and that the butter feeding element is removable.

The operation is as follows:

A suitable piece of butter is placed in the receptacle in advance of theabutment 3l, and assuming` that the pawl is in engagement with the raclrbar and that the screw has been properly adjusted by means of the nut 24for cutting' the cesired thickness of butter, the crank 13 is nowrotated in a clockwise direction, and through the gears l2 and 19revolves the driven shaft, which operates the feeding` mechanismcomprising the screw 23, pawl 28 and the removable butter feedingelement 29 by means of the cam member 22 acting` on the end of the screw23. The cam has an advancing; contour and advances the feeding mechanismthe desired amount at each revolution thereof. The feeding mechanismadvances rllhe operation is repeated at each complete revolution of thedriven shaft I8.

lffhile I have described my invention and illust-rated one embodimentthereof for car rying it out, it is fto be understood that I do notpurpose to limit my invention thereto, but contemplate such variationand changes, which do not depart from the principles of this invention,as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a butter cutting machine, butter feeding` mechanism comprising` aplurality of relatively movable non-concentric members, having a one-wayconnection with each other, and an adjustable abutment on one of saidmembers for varying the relative movement of said members,

2. In a butter cutting machine, a butter holding receptacle, a butterfeeding,` member comprising a ratchet bar removably positioned therein,a reciprocating element having a gravity pawl engaging said ratchet bar,means for adjusting the reciprocatimgmovement of said element, and acutter shaft non-concentric with said reciprocating element and having acam for operating said element,

3. In a butter cutting machine, a butter holding receptacle, a buttercutter shaft mounted on the side of said receptacle, a butter advancingmember comprising,` a ratchet bar removably mounted in said receptacle,a reciprocating` element supported between said shaft and member, saidelement having a pawl engaging,` said member, adjustable means on saidelement for varving' the recijirocating` movement thereof, arid a cam onsaid shaft for operating said element.

el. In a butter cutting machine, a butter advancing member, areciprocable element non-concentric therewith and spaced therefrom, aone-way connection between said member and element permitting saidmember to be readily removed from operative relation with said element,an adjustable stop on said element, adapted for coacting` with astationary abutment upon the inoperative or return movement of saidelement, and a driving` shaft having a cam for actuating said element.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. SMITH.

Witness CARLTON IILLL, EARL M. IIARDINE.

